Are Open Building Principles Relevant in the South African Housing Sector? CSIR Investigations and Analysis of Housing Case Studies for Sustainable Building Transformation.

The CSIR Housing Research Group in collaboration with a number of partners has been investigating the concepts of sustainable building transformation in the South African housing sector. Documents such as Medium Density Mixed Housing: sustainable design and construction of South African Social Housing (Osman and Herthogs, 2010); Environments of change: a design solution for an informal settlement in Mamelodi (Gottsmann and Osman, 2010); "Time" as a key factor in design and technical decision-making: concepts of accessibility, affordability, participation, choice, variety and change in the South African housing sector (Osman and Sebake, 2010) are products of these investigations. These studies have relied heavily on a number of theories, including Habraken's Supports, Open Building levels, and different approaches to material/component re-use. All of these theories provide approaches with regards to the way in which materials, building components and the buildings themselves are re used or salvaged, based on life cycle analysis. However, it has been noticed in previous studies that uniform definitions for this research field are lacking and many researchers work in small enclaves and do not communicate enough with each other. There are numerous terms used to describe this approach to the design of the built environment and these are sometimes confusingly interchanged. Thus, this paper presents specific working definitions and then proceeds to carry this investigation further by analysing housing case studies with regards to sustainable building transformation. In this process it is attempted to assess if the theories are relevant and applicable in the South African context. While it is acknowledged that these approaches to design and delivery need to be considered for the whole housing market, there is a pressing challenge to government to deliver low-cost and affordable housing. We therefore saw it as important to try and influence thinking, design and planned delivery approaches at the conceptual stages before future projects proceed in the typical manner which we perceive to be unsustainable. To demonstrate the above the selected case studies are the K206, Alexandra and Elengeni, both in Johannesburg as well as the Potter's House development in central Pretoria. The criteria for project selection will be explained and a checklist for assessment with regards to adaptability will be presented. The capacity for sustainable building transformation will be rationally assessed by studying the internal planning, construction methods, material selection and detailing. The paper will conclude with recommendations for new projects as well as the possibility for incorporating adaptable features in existing projects.

ISBN:978-90-5269-395-8

Publication year:2011

Keywords:Open building, South Africa, housing, sustainable building transformation